As the war in Gaza rages, social cohesion in Australia is under strain — how to ensure it doesn’t break?

Mansouri and Jackubowicz argue that Australia’s multicultural compact is under strain as the Gaza war reverberates through domestic politics, amplifying hate speech and intimidation. The authors contend that leaders have overemphasized protests while neglecting the harder work of building intercultural relationships and cohesion. They warn how intra-group bonding can hollow out inter-group trust, restating the paramount principles of multiculturalism as a nation-building grounded in equality, rights, and compromise. 

For Tideline, we are moving beyond the celebratory diversity. We aim to construct structured bridge-building, measuring trust and cross-group ties. To do so, we hope to extend teaching intercultural civic habits that embrace civic patriotism and service so that conflict abroad does not dissolve shared identity at home.  (Mansouri & Jakubowicz, 2024)